Israel's Netanyahu Denies Profiting From Submarine Sale

  • Prime minister calls claim ‘blood libel’ in TV interview
  • Says shares divested 18 months before first submarine sold
Netanyahu at a ceremony for the arrival of the German-made INS Rahav in 2016.Photographer: Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied profiting from a state contract to buy submarines from a German conglomerate, calling claims from a political rival “blood libel” in a rare broadcast interview on Channel 12.

In question were shares Netanyahu held in a company that later became affiliated with the conglomerate, a holding he sold at great return on investment. Netanyahu insisted he reported holding the shares, then selling them, and paid the appropriate tax on the gain.